December is a busy month for the Sims - Stuber household between the hustle and bustle of the holidays plus the birthdays of our sweet doggie Duke and my wonderful husband and amazing husband!! For those of you with birthdays in December it must be hard sometimes to not let your day get overrun and taken over by the holidays. How many times as a kid did you get a gift that was an all in one birthday and holiday gift?!? Not that those types of things matter to us as adults, but everyone should get their moment to bask in their birthday glow, am I right?

I’m a good Southern girl that believes a little celebration is good for the soul and I try my very best to make the birthdays of my nearest and dearest very special, no matter the number you are turning!! For Scott’s birthday dinner I wanted something intimate and sexy without being too fussy. I first called my go-to gal for everything party related, Stefanie Cove from YOA Associates to pick her brain for venue suggestions and all the amazing details she never forgets. The venue I chose was the restaurant at the historic Chateau Marmont which was perfect for such an occasion. Eric Buterbaugh handled the florals. They were great to work with and when they sent me a picture of their inspiration for the centerpieces so I knew we were on the same page. You can’t get more chic and sexy than red roses. (See inspiration pic below)

Keeping things simple doesn’t mean you're not paying attention to detail. On the contrary, the little details are ways to express style without breaking the bank. Calligraphy place cards are a perfect example of this. Our gorgeous place cards were made by Los Angeles based calligrapher, Anne Jones.

This is something you can easily DIY at home with cardstock that you can use in your printer. Place cards can be key when throwing a dinner party because you can strategically plan your table. By coordinating seats, people will mingle. Make sure to spread the lively conversationalists around to rub off on the more subdued guests. With a placecard, you'll also secretly help those who don’t remember the name of their neighbor seated next to them.

Also remember the best tip for dinner parties … EVERYTHING looks better with candlelight!! I thought the table turned out lovely and it was a picture-perfect evening.

Let them eat cake!! I’m a huge fan of Sweet Lady Jane bakery and they did not disappoint with this “gift” for my handsome sweetie.

Gorgeous place cards, flowers and yummy cake aside, it was truly about the moment of celebrating the birth of my best friend and husband with our nearest and dearest. We may have been celebrating Scott’s birthday, but I felt like the luckiest girl in the room.